Notes: S.C.-Upstate leads the series 8-5 after the two teams split the series last year, each winning on the road. ... In Thursday's loss to JU, the Spartans missed their first 10 shots in overtime before converting a dunk with 13 seconds left. ... UNF overcame a 14-point halftime deficit against ETSU and held a four-point lead with just over two minutes left but was outscored 13-4 in the closing minutes. The Ospreys pulled to within one with four seconds left, but ETSU made four free throws to nail down the win. ... UNF is one of three teams eligible for the A-Sun Tournament that has a losing record in league play.

'PS3' proves to be a gamer for North Florida

Shooting guard Smith provides a spark off the bench for the Ospreys.

UNF's Parker Smith (3) shoots against East Tennessee State on Thursday night at UNF Arena.

It's rare for a basketball team's leading scorer not to be a starter. But that's the case for the University of North Florida.

As the Ospreys (5-12, 2-4 Atlantic Sun) prepare to host S.C.-Upstate tonight, Parker Smith, a 6-foot-3 sophomore shooting guard, leads the team with an 11.6 points per game average while coming off the bench and playing just 24.1 minutes a game. He's not a starter because UNF coach Matthew Driscoll likes the spark Smith provides off the bench.

"I just come in and fill in the minutes, picking up for Jerron [Granberry] and Jimmy [Williams]," said Smith, who has nearly half (45) of UNF's 103 3-pointers this season. "I'm supposed to just score and play defense and do the other little things I'm supposed to do."

For Smith, nicknamed PS3 by his teammates for the number he wears and for his shooting touch from behind the arc, getting to play at UNF was a matter of chance.

At Chestatee High in Gainesville, Ga., Smith averaged 35.5 points per game his senior season and was a second-team All-State selection.

"My junior and senior year, I got to step up," Smith said. "I remember one time I was in the gym for like two straight months just trying to work on my jump shot off the dribble. So, I really put a lot of work in at high school."

He accepted an offer to play at Tennessee State where he knew he would get a chance to play early. He did, playing in 30 games as a freshman and averaging 9.0 points per game.

But when Tennessee State fired coach Cy Alexander during the season and replaced him after the season with former Auburn assistant John Cooper, who brought in a new coaching staff, Smith felt like he needed a change.

At about the same time, Driscoll was being hired at UNF. Russ Triaga, Smith's high school coach, was a longtime friend of Driscoll's and told him about Smith.

"[Triaga] called and said, 'Hey I got this kid,' and I trust [Triaga]," Driscoll said. "So, I knew he wasn't going to send me a box of goodies that wasn't up to par. He said, 'I got a kid who's special and this is what he can do,' and that was it."

Smith signed with UNF but had to sit out the 2009-2010 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Sitting out was something Smith wasn't used to. He said when he walked around campus, people didn't know he was even on the team.

"It was very rough," Smith said. "Just getting to practice and knowing I should be playing. I felt like I took it for granted when I was able to play. So I don't do that anymore, because I don't want it taken away."

In his UNF debut, an exhibition against Edward Waters, Smith scored 21 points - all from behind from 3-point line.

"It felt good to finally come out," Smith said. "I had forgotten what it felt like to play in front of people and having people cheer, so it definitely was a big relief."

Through 17 games, Smith is one of only two UNF players averaging double figures - Granberry is averaging 11.1 ppg. Smith's shooting from behind the 3-point line (36 percent) is nearly as high as his shooting from the field (39 percent). He's also an 87 percent free-throw shooter.

The Ospreys struggled through a difficult opening schedule that included losses to five Top 25 teams. They ended a six-game losing streak with a victory at Campbell but have lost three in a row since then. Still, Smith believes the team will put together a winning streak.

"I can definitely see us making a run," Smith said. "Once you get in to the tournament, it's every man for himself team-wise. Anybody can beat anybody."